This was my first cosplay; I wore it to ACEN ’08 with a big Avatar group and got stopped for pictures every 2 minutes. Good times! Not a lot has changed since then in terms of the outfit; someday I hope to get a better wig, but for now I’m making do with the Halloween wig I got at Kostume Room–I can’t believe that thing is still in one piece, actually!

This costume was on the list for a loooong time. I held off making it for quite a while because I started doing Weight Watchers and wanted to wait until I’d hit my goal weight before I made any more clothes. I ended up making the entire thing in the 3ish-week period between the end of the semester and ACEN ’11 — I kind of forgot how long it takes to make things when you have to invent the pattern yourself! This costume also introduced me to Sculpey Clay (the little gold things on the shoulder pads), which, I learned, I stink at. More practice for sure! P.S. This show is awesome. Go watch it.

This is Fuu from an old-school anime about a trio of junior-high-aged girls who get sucked into, and stuck saving, another world. The outfit, sadly, did not turn out as well as I would have liked — tip: using Vogue custom couture patters for cosplay is a terrible idea. Actually, I rather think that using Vogue custom couture patterns in general is a terrible idea. And to compound terrible ideas, I chose to use stretch poplin, which might be good for some things, but makes LOUSY suit coats. I’ve since bought new suitings fabric and plan on remaking this when I get the chance. The plan is to eventually add the armour that she wears… fingers crossed!

My cosplay of Jun from the manga series Cafe Kichijoji de, a three-volume series about a group of waiters who work in a cafe and the hijinks that ensue. Construction of this one was hectic. I did it as a part of a 4-person group, and we sort of did a last-minute cosplay switch about three weeks before AnimeWorld Chicago, got together the weekend before for a massive sewing party, and basically continued said party up until Saturday morning at the con when we put them on. Seriously, we brought three sewing machines to that con. But they turned out great and we had a blast wearing them. One of the chefs at the hotel restaurant was a great sport and let us come into the restaurant to take pictures, and we got to be impromptu wait staff at a guest cafe event the con was hosting (free food, and we got to exercise our totally non-existent food service industry skills!).

This garb has gone through so many incarnations I’ve lost count. I made the first set as a model garment when I worked at Hancock Fabrics back when they were still in business (moment of silence…). Once I got it back from them I gave it an overhaul to make it more historically accurate (pause for laughter) and I’ve been updating it ever since. The images show the various stages of the process. The entire thing, undergarments and all, was made by me, except for the hat, which is by Blonde Swan.

I’ve had this fabric sitting under my bed for at least 4 years now, just waiting to become a lolita dress. At last it has fulfilled its Aristotelian telos! As I was sewing it I was vowing to myself never to make another lolita (all those RUFFLES), but once it was finished, I looked at it and went “So cute! I want another!” Maybe some day, but for now I am really happy with how this one came out. See this post for more thorough construction details, etc.

Here’s Mami from The Show With a Very Long, Trying-To-Be-Latin name! (It’s supposed to be “Madoka the Magical Girl” which would be fine except then they stuck “magi” in there…). Anyhow… this was a costume of firsts. First pair of gloves, first boot covers, first major wig-styling endeavour. Eventually it will also be first prop once I get her rifle(s) done. That wig was…interesting, and I’m not really happy with it, but everyone at AWC liked it, so I guess that’s a good sign. The rest of the outfit came out very well, I thought, especially the boot covers (thanks to Karmada for the guidance and materials!). Lots of fun to wear, but hard to run with those curls bouncing! …heck, who am I kidding, I even had trouble walking through doors!

My first webcomic cosplay! I read way too many webcomics. This costume has an interesting back story which basically goes: I wanted to do another one of her costumes (with less stomach!), could not find fabric in the right color/texture combination, decided I would step out of my comfort zone and do this costume instead, got started, found fabric for the first costume after all. So in the end I’ll have two Kit costumes, one for summer (OR NOT) and one for winter. This was actually a lot of fun to make, though, and I’ve got ears and a tail, which is exciting. 😀 Also, if you want to read a fun fantasy story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, go read Feywinds! It’s awesome.

PF is the fashion photographer pony. She’s only in one episode, but she has this hilarious fake French/German accent, moves at a zillion miles an hour, and is just kind of endearingly ridiculous. I really hope she comes back for more episodes! Character-wise I’m pretty much Twilight (the neurotic perpetual student), but I thought PF would be more fun, and would give me an excuse to actually carry my camera and paparazzi on people. It worked. Pretty easy costume except that I had to hand-stitch those diamonds onto the skirt to the tune of a lot of Owl City.

My first Star Wars costume! I’d wanted to do a Jedi for years, and I remember falling in love with Jocasta’s outfit the first time I saw it. Ironically, she doesn’t seem to carry a lightsabre (although she’s clearly got one in Clone Wars), which means I am deprived of one of the biggest perks of cosplaying a Jedi. Oh well, I get a holocron instead. I made this costume very slowly over the course of a year, mostly because the ansata (all those geometric designs) slowed me down considerably. This is my first makeup-heavy costume (old-lady face!) and without a wig (Ben Nye for the win!). Jocasta is my first formal Rebel Legion costume — stay tuned for more!